NL Central

NL West

Now Commenting On:

Quentin not giving up on postseason

Quentin not giving up on postseason

Email

Print

By Scott Merkin
/
MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- On Sept. 1, Carlos Quentin slammed his right hand on the bat being held in his left hand after missing a ninth-inning pitch from Cleveland's Cliff Lee during a 5-0 loss. Quentin suffered a broken bone in his right wrist from that moment of frustration.

One week later, Quentin had a screw inserted into that right wrist during outpatient surgery with the hope of returning to action as soon as possible. That hope for Quentin, through the ongoing rehab process and strengthening exercises along with some light swings, has left the All-Star left fielder with the remote hope of being cleared for the American League Division Series against the Rays, starting Thursday at Tropicana Field.

"There's no set timetable, but there's nothing wrong with setting goals," Quentin told MLB.com following the White Sox 1-0 victory over the Twins, clinching the American League Central title through Tuesday's tiebreaker. "That's a good goal to set. I don't know, though. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."

Quentin reported that he took swings off of a tee on Tuesday and was cleared to do more on Wednesday, with Quentin mentioning the possibility of taking flips. From that point on, it's all about how he responds every day. Although being added to the roster seems unlikely for the opening series against the Rays, Quentin remains optimistic.

"I'm hoping for a good day tomorrow and I want to be available," Quentin said. "I'll give them a thumbs up if it feels good, and then it's up to them."

Winning without Quentin's 36 home runs and 100 RBIs in the lineup during the final month, not to mention the absence of Joe Crede at third base, made the White Sox division title task that much more challenging. It's an obstacle that the team chose to fight through, instead of use as an excuse.

"We got hit in the jaw and staggered," said White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker of losing Quentin and Crede.

"Q feels terrible about what happened and Crede's back is the real deal," Walker added. "But you can flip-flop and give us Quentin and take [Justin] Morneau away, and then we aren't playing this game. That's no discredit to [Minnesota]. It's just about great players having great years."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.